New York Sheriffs’ Victim Advisory Board

In July of 1998 the New York State Crime Victim’s Board awarded a grant to the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute Inc. to establish an Automated Victim Information and Notification Service (VINE) in 60 County Correctional Facilities in the State of New York.

To assist in the advancement of this victim service, the New York State Sheriffs’ Association Institute, Inc. established the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Advisory Board. The members serve in a voluntary capacity and assist the Institute’s Director of Victim Notification Services in the overall management and operation of the program.

They attend Monthly Board Meetings; make site visits to local Correctional Facilities; conduct training programs; present the VINE program to local Civic and Victim Service Agencies; participate in training conferences of the New York Sheriffs, Undersheriffs and Jail Administrators; critique media packets and provide assistance to Victims of Crime on how to use the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline.

Retired Rockland County Sheriff Thomas J. Goldrick, left, of Rockland County has served as the Chairman of the Board since the Board inception at the 1999 Annual Sheriffs’ Summer Conference in Suffolk County. Chairman Goldrick’s distinguished career in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice spans over 50 years of devoted public service. He is assisted by members, Donald Barrett, Dr. Nicholas Troisi, and Retired Sheriff Andrew Meloni of Monroe County. He has served as a New York City Police Officer, chaired the Rockland County Community College Criminal Justice Program, elected Sheriff of Rockland County and confirmed as the Chairman of the Medical Review Board, New York.State Commission of Correction. Sheriff Goldrick brings a wealth of experience to the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Advisory Board. His leadership and guidance is outstanding in improving the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline Program to better serve Victims of Crime in the State of New York.

Dr. Nicholas Trois, lower right, is a Retired Dean of the Faculty of Professional Studies and Professor of Education from Plattsburgh State University of New York. He served as a member of the New York State Commission of Corrections’ Citizen Policy and Complaint Review Council for 31 years. He is an active Rotarian and has served as a District Governor in 1990-91. Dr. Troisi has been a member of the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Advisory Board since he accepted the appointment at the 2002 Annual Sheriffs’ Summer Training Conference in Rockland County. In addition, he has been active in many other civic and educational organizations. Dr. Troisi has made numerous site visits to local County Correctional Facilities to review the status of the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline Program. He is always seeking ways to improve this Victim Service and extend its outreach to crime victims In the State of New York. The New York Sheriff’s Association Institute is indebted to Dr. Troisi for his commitment to this Victim Service.

Mr. Donald Barrett, lower left, is a retired Independent Insurance Executive. After his son Michael, a 21 year old R.I.T. student, was killed in a DWI car crash in 1984 in Rochester, New York. He has devoted the last 27 years of his life helping crime victims. He has chaired numerous DWI panels throughout Central New York; assisted families over the loss of a loved one and counseled victims who were coping with anxiety as their case proceeded through the Criminal Justice System. Don Barrett brings a special and insightful perspective on how the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline Program can better serve crime victims. He was appointed a member of the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Advisory Board at the 2001 Annual Sheriffs’ Summer Training Conference in Canandaigua, N.Y. Don Barrett is well-known throughout the victim service community for his compassion and energy, in easing the burden of victims of crime. Don Barrett has helped make the New York Sheriffs’ Victim Hotline a more effective service for crime victims in the State of New York.